The End of a Romance
by chocoluvr
Summary: Luna finds out that her boyfriend of two years wouldn't be able to join her abroad when she takes an apprenticeship at the Amazon rainforest. She finally gets to meet his parents, which is the reason that he feels that he has to stay in England.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

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Waiting at their usual table in The Leaky Cauldron, Neville Longbottom was waiting for his girlfriend of two years to join him

Waiting at their usual table in The Leaky Cauldron, Neville Longbottom was waiting for his girlfriend of two years to join him. He knew that it was about time that Luna heard from the apprenticeship program in the Amazon jungle to study the animals in the rainforest since she had wanted him to apply for a similar apprenticeship in herbology so that they could be together. He had led her to believe that he was going to apply for the program; just to encourage her to apply since it would be a very good opportunity for her, even though because of family responsibilities he couldn't go but Luna didn't know about those responsibilities since she thought that his parents were dead. He was afraid of how she would react to the news that his parents were alive and living in a nursing home, which was much better than St. Mungo's. When she entered the pub she had a letter in her hand with a big smile on her face, Neville knew that this was the time to come clean with her about his parents and how it was his duty to stay here in England to be close to his parents. He was currently working at St. Mungo's as a herbology researcher and growing the plants that were required in the healing potions at the wizarding hospital.

When Luna saw Neville she ran right into him, "I got the apprenticeship, so did you get in too?" Luna asked him, for a minute Neville thought about lying to her that he didn't get accepted and not tell her that he didn't even apply for it.

"If you didn't get in I'll understand, I'm sure that they have all sorts of talented wizards and witches applying for these spots," Luna reassured him while Neville concentrated on the lunch menu.

After the two of them entered their food orders and received their food, Neville decided to be honest with her.

"I'm proud of you, but I need to be honest with you now. I never applied for the program, I almost did but I would be fooling myself if I could go to the Amazon for a while. Right now I have family responsibilities that will keep me from going," Neville confessed to her.

"Why, would you lie to me about applying for? I'm sure that they would defer your admittance if you had to care for a sick family member, is your grandmother dying?" Luna asked him sounding concerned that he might lose the woman who had raised him from a young age.

"No, but remember right after the Battle of Hogwarts how I admitted to you that I was relieve that you were alive and well. After you were kidnapped I was worried that you would lose your mind and I didn't want that to happen to anyone else that I care about," Neville admitted to her knowing that she would be curious to find out who he knew had lost their mind.

"Who did you know who lost their minds?" Luna asked him quietly.

"My parents," he admitted to her finally.

"We've been together as a couple for almost two years and you're just now telling me this, why?" Luna asked him wondering why he was just now telling her this.

"I thought that if I didn't tell anyone then I can just pretend that they're either dead or away on a job related trip. Plus, I thought that if you knew that I couldn't go to the Amazon then you wouldn't apply for the apprenticeship yourself and I know that would be a good experience for you," Neville admitted to her.

"You should know me better than that I would still have applied for it even if you weren't going to apply," Luna answered back.

"That's why I think that we should break up right now just in case if you find someone else over there that you want to be your boyfriend. I still want to be your friend though, even if we didn't work out as a couple right now," Neville told her sounding uncomfortable at the idea of breaking up with his first real girlfriend.

"Can we visit them?" Luna asked him sounding interested to meet his parents.

Neville looked at his watch before answering her "Sure, after lunch since I think that both of them would be there today but we first need to go by the bakery and the ice cream parlor to bring them goodies that I bring them every time that I visit them," Luna looked interested in finally meeting Neville's parents even if they had just broken up.

"Why wouldn't they be there, aren't they in a secure area where they can't escape or get kidnapped?" Luna asked him curious as to where his parents can go.

"Well during the week dad has different therapies to help him to use the abilities that he has and mom goes over to the Hogs Head to help Aberforth out with the pub and his goats, since he sees her as the sister that he couldn't help. Gran loves having her over there during the week to help out and on Sundays she has Sunday dinner with us. Normally on Sundays after lunch we go over to the nursing home to visit with dad and to bring mom and Uncle Algie back. Sometimes on Saturdays some of the residents take trips outside of the facility, like to Diagon Alley or to the zoo and mom and Uncle Algie goes with them. On Saturday mornings though, mom has track practice at a muggle track, since she's been participating in the muggle Special Olympics for two years now," Neville informed her while Luna was amazed that his mother was so active even though she wondered who this Uncle of his was.

"Who's your Uncle Algie, isn't he the one who got you that plant in your fifth year?" Luna asked him.

"He's my great uncle actually, he's Gran's brother and he moved into the home after his wife died last year, but during the war they were both with my parents in a wizarding nursing home in Switzerland," Neville told her.

"Didn't your grandmother marry Aberforth this past Christmas Eve?" Luna asked him curious to see if he would reveal about his feelings about his grandmother remarrying. "Yes, and she's happy to find someone to keep her company now that I'm older and left the house," Neville answered her just as he was getting ready to pay the bill and leave. After they went outside they went to the bakery where Neville ordered a box of chocolate chip cookies for both his mother and great uncle. "Do you plan to take this over to the nursing home today?" Mrs. Weasley the owner of the bakery asked him wondering if she could add a couple of chocolate éclairs to his package for her Aunt Muriel who was also a resident at the nursing home.

"Yes, I'm going to take Luna over there to meet my parents for the first time," Neville nervously admitted to her.

"Good, then I'll add a couple of chocolate éclairs to your order for no extra charge to give to Muriel, since she likes them so much," Mrs. Weasley told him.

After visiting the bakery, both Luna and Neville went over to the ice cream parlor to pick up a chocolate milkshake for his dad where they saw Ginny and Harry sitting together with a small child who appeared to be around two years old with blue hair. When Luna spotted them she went over there to greet them as if she wasn't going to meet her ex boyfriend's parents for the first time.

"Hi guys what are you doing here?" Luna asked them walking up to her two friends. "Well, we're just taking Teddy here out for some ice cream and we just came back from the park, "Harry answered her.

"What are you and Neville planning for the day? Harry and I are just spending time with Teddy since this is one of these rare days that both Harry and I have the same day off. "Right now, we're getting ready to go to the nursing home to meet his parents, that I never knew who were alive until now. I do have some good news though I did get that apprenticeship in the Amazon even though Neville just told me that he wouldn't be able to go because of his responsibilities to his parents," Luna told them while Ginny nodded in understanding about having a boyfriend wanting to break up with her for bloody noble reasons.

"If it makes you feel any better as far as I know that you're actually the first person that he's told about them," Harry tried to reassure her.

"Why wouldn't he tell any of his friends about them, its not his fault that they're that way?" Luna asked while Harry looked at Teddy to see what he was doing since he had an idea of why Neville would feel guilty about his parents' condition.

A few minutes later Neville came back from the front of the store with the milkshake for his dad and greeted Harry and Ginny while getting Luna to leave.

"Congratulations, by the way about the apprenticeship, I'm sure that your dad would be really proud of you," Ginny told her right before she left with Neville.

"Bye bye," Teddy told them as they were leaving the ice cream parlor.

When the two of them arrived at the nursing home, Neville immediately took them straight to the living area, where he found his mom talking with her friends and when she saw him she went right to him.

"Hi, who's this?" Alice asked her son. "This is Luna Lovegood, mum and she's my friend. Where's dad?" Neville replied.

"He's outside with Algie," Alice answered him while dragging Neville over to meet her friends. "Hi guys, this is Neville's friend Luna maybe they'll get married soon," Alice introduced Luna to her friends while both Neville and Luna looked embarrassed.

"No, we're not getting married anytime soon since I have to leave England for work," Luna tried to correct Alice not telling that her and Neville had just broken up.

"Mom, I'll just go ahead and get Uncle Algie and dad since I brought cookies for you and him, plus a milkshake for dad. Before I forget I also brought something for Muriel too," Neville told his mom giving Luna a couple of minutes alone with his mom.

"This is a pretty nice place, I'm sure that you enjoy living here," Luna told her trying to make small talk with Neville's mom.

"I do this is so much better than the hospital, at least here we get to go outside," Alice answered her.

A few minutes later Neville returned with a middle aged man in a wheelchair with a board with the alphabet on it in his lap accompanied by an older man.

"Luna this is my dad, Frank" Neville told her pointing to the man in the wheelchair while giving him the milkshake which he immediately starting eating as soon as Neville placed the milkshake in front of him.

"I'm Neville's great uncle Algie and I live here too though in a different wing than Frank and Alice here. Are you Neville's girlfriend?" Algie introduced himself to Luna hoping that Neville would be getting married soon.

"I'm Luna, Neville's friend. What do you mean that you live in a different wing?" Luna asked sounding interested.

"Frank here, needs to have more assistance in his daily life which Alice helps out as much as she can and I'm primarily here because its easier for me to live here rather than keep up my house," Algie answered Luna's question.

A few minutes later a blonde man came up to their group and asked energetically, "Cookies, can I have one?"

Alice answered, "Sure Gilderoy have you met Neville's friend Luna?"

"No I haven't, but I think that I've seen her from somewhere," Gilderoy answered her. "I was in your class at Hogwarts when you taught there," Luna gently reminded him. "Did I really teach there," he answered her right before he left to try to sneak out with a group of elderly women who were going to Diagon Alley to shop.

"No, Gilderoy you know that you're not allowed to go off campus," one of the matrons reminded him while he looked downcast.

"Why can't he go anywhere?" Luna asked sounding curious.

"He did something bad and now he's being punished for it," Alice answered her.

"They sent him here after they closed down the Janus Thickey ward in St. Mungo's but when he gets better he'll go to Azkaban on fraud charges," Algie elaborated for Luna who suddenly remembered that he was a fraud.

Frank during all of this interchange finished his milkshake and spelt out on his board "Hi there."

Alice during this made sure that Algie, Neville and Luna each got at least one cookie and she even offered to share them with the other residents and staff members.

An hour later after Luna met Alice and Algie's friends, plus taking a tour of the place Neville remarked, "Its time for us to go, since its getting late."

"It's nice to meet you, young lady," Alice told her with Algie nodding his head in agreement.

"Bye bye," Frank typed on his board.

"Well, you've now met my parents what do think of them?" Neville asked her.

"I think that your mom is sweet and your dad seems nice," Luna answered him. "I'm glad that you think so and my mom only knew who I was two years ago when they were sent to a private clinic in Switzerland during the last year of the war. I want to spend as much time that I can with them and I can't do that while studying plants in the Amazon," Neville explained to her.

The day before Luna left to go to her apprenticeship, Neville went to her farewell party and promised to write each other. At first her letters just talked about what she did and her friends, though by Christmas she started to write about a young man named Rolf that she met. At the end of the year her and Rolf were engaged, while Neville started to see one of the volunteers at the home whom he had gone to Hogwarts with. A couple of years later he married Hannah Abbott while Luna was married to Rolf Scamader. He never forgot Luna though, but he only cared for her as a friend.


End file.
